WhatTucked between embassies and expat-dwelling mid-rises, Villa Samadhi is a 21-room hideaway that's more guest house than hotel.

Here, service is highly personalized; the upkeep is as if the owner himself is sweeping and scrubbing, while the design harmoniously straddles styles; think: Thatched-roof tropical, lantern-lit estate and modern muse.

Enroute to Bali in April 2014, the flight path Mr. Trip Styler and I took stopped in Kuala Lumpur. Never having touched Malaysian soil, we decided to spend three days acclimatizing to the time zone and exploring the city-in-shift full of ingenue restaurants {that would put the dining scene in many other metropolises to shame}, record-breaking twin towers, copious shopping and greenery-filled parks {avec jogging paths}!

After exhaustive research, we chose Villa Samadhi—a four-minute cab from downtown—because we wanted a leafy base to sample both urban and villa life without enduring a time- and cash-intensive commute to/from the city.

In keeping with the retreat theme, most rooms come with either a plunge pool or indoor jacuzzi. Our indoor jacuzzi was the size of a lap pool, and every day at 7pm it automatically heated up and the jets lured us in. Just as splashy: The hotel's six-person rooftop Bumbung Bar with views of the Petronas Towers {a much more pleasing perch than Kuala Lumpur's popular SkyBar}.

When you pick a hotel in a foreign country based on photos and the odd review, you NEVER know what you're going to get, but this quickly climbed into the realm of trip styled stay. Trip Styler approved.

WhereKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, about an hour by taxi {$30 usd} from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport {KUL}. Note: Whether you take a cab or the KLIA Ekspres train into town, your journey will be about an hour, especially since reaching most of the city's hotels requires boarding an additional train. For two people, it is about the same price to take a cab or the train. Also note, all cabs charge a nighttime rate {a 50% premium over day rates}.

WhenOnly a few degrees north of the equator, the weather in Kuala Lumpur is humid and hot, its heat exaggerated by the traffic and concrete-clad contruction. Expect heavy tropical rainfall in Oct, November and December, and frequent spurts of moisture outside of these months.

Who/WhyInstead of staying in a bland tower, you're the sultry sanctuary type seeking somewhere small-scale and personalized. Amenities like a lagoon pool with a waterfall, fresh-pressed juices and the resort's watermelon-eating turtle are just bonuses.

CostRates start around $200/night and include WiFi, glass-bottled water, a drool-worthy breakfast spread, daily canapé delivery and a nightly shuttle to and/from town.

Trip Styler Tip: If you are arriving at the hotel before 8am or after 8pm, make sure to email or call them to ensure someone will be at the front desk when you arrive.

Photos

Room

The hotel restaurant, Mandi-Mandi

Day beds beside the lagoon pool

The resident turtle {who LOVES watermelon}

The scene at dusk

Kuala Lumpur's most famous landmark: Patronas Towers, a 25-minute walk from the hotel

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Trip Styler is a travel lifestyle publication honing in on the coolest stops in the world's hottest destinations. We categorize every trip via TRIP STYLES {aka travel lenses}, so if you need inspiration, start there. Otherwise, check out our travel FEATURES like style, beauty and packing guides. Bon voyage. More...